What's the Matter with ICG: Scandal or Manipulation?

By Alemayehu Fentaw
Sept. 25 2009

To the best of my knowledge, ICG is a well-reputed Think Tank, which
has been considered widely as one of the "Top Ten in the World". It's
to be recalled that ICG's latest report, Ethiopia: Ethnic Federalism
and Its Discontents" became a subject of bitter controversy both among
concerned citizens, government officials, and the ICG. The Ministry of
Foreign Affairs, in its online weekly, A Week in the Horn, responds
vehemently to the report as "disturbing and disappointing ... even
...dangerous". When I read the report for the first time I thought
"It can be taken as an early warning" assuming that it was done in the
best of intentions. My personal reaction to the government's indignant
response was that it was paranoid and thus overreacting.

The government accused ICG of being manipulated by Eritrea through its
former Ambassador to the EU and many other European countries who
serves the Think Tank as a Senior Africa Adviser. A Week in the Horn
referred to him as "a former Eritrean official known for his hard line
position and in charge of UNMEE affairs." It further asserted that
"Ambassador Andebrhan has officially resigned from the Eritrean
Government but unlike many of his contemporaries has given no
indication of breaking with it or of criticizing it."

Defending the government's accusation that the report is written by
ICG's Eritrean Adviser, Daniela Kroslak, Deputy Africa Director, of
ICG told VOA's Tizita Belachew for the Amharic service's that
Andebrhan Giorgis left the Nairobi staff a year ago and was not an
author of the report. Can this be taken as an admission on ICG's
behalf that the previous year's report, "Beyond Fragile Peace Between
Ethiopia and Eritrea", that called upon the US and international
community to put pressure on Ethiopia to accept the decision of the
EEBC and withdraw its forces from Badme, was written by him, as he
did not leave Nairobi by then? Does this also mean that he has already
been transfered to Brussels, no more based in Nairobi, and without any
influence whatsoever? Can this be enough excuse for retaining a
high-ranking official of PFDJ/Shabia with the ICG in Brussels with the
position of Senior Advisor, Africa Program? Does not the fact that he
is ICG's Senior Africa Advisor sufficient to make Ethiopia worry
about his influence, though not single-handedly written by himself?

Whatever the outcome of your speculations and musings, I, for one, am
shocked to discover during the past two days that Mr. Giorgis is still
an active member of the 75-member Central Council of PFDJ/former EPLF,
as has been since 1977. He is also a member of the Eritrean National
Assembly, not just a former Eritrean diplomat or official, as
Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs mistakenly claimed! My evidence
is his publicly available curriculum vitae posted on the official
website of the European Parliament. It can be accessed until and
unless removed thereafter at: www.europarl.europa.eu/document/.../20080626ATT32869EN.pdf

This is therefore to call on ICG to dissociate itself from Ambassador
Andebrhan Giorgis, as they fondly call him and live up to the
standards of non-partisanship. Or else, ICG will be out there as a sad
reminder of the famous English proverb "He who pays the piper calls
the tune."

NBIf the link is broken, google the name Andebrhan Welde Giorgis and
click on the third item in the list of your search result.